Nuclear medicine

Question 1

Anatomical imaging

Answer 1

Types of imaging that uses external source of energy to image bones and soft tissue

Examples

• X-ray
• US
• CT, MRI

Question 2

Nuclear medicine

- definition

Answer 2

Functional imaging
- Measures physiological pathways at a molecular level

• Uses internal radiation that is detected by an external source

Question 3

advantages of nuclear medicine

Answer 3

Can detect pathological physiological changes of function/metabolism at an earlier stage than anatomical imaging
- Allows earlier treatment

The events can be quantified.

Question 4

Physiological processes targeted in functional imaging (3)

Answer 4

Glucose metabolism

Tissue perfusion

Bone metabolism

Question 5

Radiopharmaceutical

• Description
• Examples

Answer 5

A compund that is a drug that targets a physiological process
- It is tagged with an unstable radioisotope label.

Examples

• Macroaggregated albumin (MAA)
• Flurodeoxyglucose (FDG)
• Methyl disphosphonate (MDP)

Question 6

Macroaggregated albumin (MAA)

Answer 6

Radio-pharmaceutical that targets tissue perfusion.

Question 7

Radio-isotope labels

• Mechanism
• Examples

Answer 7

Atoms that emit charged particles due to being unstable.
- Attached to pharmaceuticals in order to image physiological processes.

Emitted charged particles are detected by cameras and form image

• gamme camera for gamma rays
• PET camera for positron particles

Examples

• Technetium-99m
• Flourine-18
• Iodine-123
• Indium-111

Question 8

Cameras used to detect

• Gamma rays
• Positrons

Answer 8

Gamma camera

• Give planar, 2D image
• SPECT= multiple angles image

Positrons
- PET camera

Question 9

Indications for bone scintigraphy (6)

Answer 9

Bone metastasis
- staging and diagnosis

Unexplaned bone pain

Sports injury

Susepected bone/ prosthetic infection

Evaluation of

• Inflammatory arthropathy
• metaboic bone disease